Too long, too late
by Lothlorien Aeterna
Summary: All of the times Jane could have admitted his feelings to Lisbon (if only he could have admitted them to himself) and the one time when he actually does. Series of one-shots, spoilers for Seasons 1-5.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** Hi there! Welcome to my new project. This was actually supposed to be one of those "5 times when this happened and one time when it didn't" type of things. But then I started writing it and, the more I wrote, the more I came up with. Right now I already have about 5 scenes planned…and I'm not even done with Season 2. That's why I decided to split it into chapters. Most will be fairly short, like this one, but a couple of them will be longer. I'm excited about it. Hope you enjoy!

This is dedicated to one of my best twitter friends, Fernanda. She was the first Mentalist fan I talked to on there, so she'll always have a special place in my heart. Happy birthday!

Thanks to Kah for helping me with the timeline…I can never remember which episode is which. And God knows that the show's timeline is already messed up enough without my interfering.

**Disclaimer: **The Mentalist and its characters belong to Bruno Heller, Troller King- not me.

I got the title from Nickelback's "Far Away", which I don't own either.

"_Too long, too late_

_Who was I to make you wait?_

_I love you, I have loved you all along"_

**1-**

"_I tried."_

"_You did."_

At that moment, Patrick Jane could do nothing but stare at the woman in front of him with what he feared was obvious affection in his eyes.

She had been so reluctant to share information with him in the last couple of days (still was, really) and had finally agreed to let him see the files.

The Red John files.

He knew it wasn't healthy, that he should try to follow Hannigan and Lisbon's advice.

But it wasn't that simple.

Patrick Jane couldn't just ignore the fact that the man that had killed his beloved wife and daughter was still breathing, still alive- while _they_ were buried, cut up and destroyed.

He was ready to finish what he had set out to do and rid the world of that son of a bitch.

He couldn't help but wonder if joining the CBI was the right choice, however. Jane found himself getting attached already. He couldn't have that.

No distractions.

Without exactly meaning to, the newly hired consultant moved forward, awkwardly enveloping the petite woman in his arms. He felt her tense and reluctantly return the hug a moment after.

It might not be helpful and it might put her in danger.

Right now, though, Patrick Jane could think of nothing better than getting to know his new boss and colleagues.

He finally felt like he was starting to belong somewhere. His new home.

And he had Agent Teresa Lisbon to thank for that.

**Author's note: **So, obviously, I decided to start with Red Dawn. The next chapter will be a scene from Season 1, and so on. Please tell me what you thought!

Oh, by the way- for those of you who follow my other story, _The Red Tyger_: the epilogue will be posted sometime this week!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **So. I just found this while going through my files….I guess I forgot to post it? Meh. I know it's really short, but that's how I decided to set up this series. And I know it took me about one hundred years to update it, but I promise that I haven't forgotten about it. I've just been busy and frustrated and ugh.

Anyway. This is based on the trust fall scene in episode 1x17. Like I said, I'm going to pick a few scenes from each season. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Mentalist or any of Heller's characters.

**2-**

"_Lisbon, I want you to know that you can trust me. No matter what happens, I will be there for you. I will. I need you to know that."_

Why had he said that? He wasn't so sure.

Jane just knew that he needed her to trust him. Somewhere along the way, Teresa Lisbon's trust had become important to him.

It had become necessary. Something for him to cling to, something to anchor him.

_To keep him sane._

If he could gain Lisbon's trust, it would mean that he was doing something right.

_Something good._

When he caught her as she fell, he felt something change between them. He wasn't so foolish to think that she had magically started to trust him completely.

As much as she denied it, he knew she must trust him. At least a bit.

And he would keep pestering her, in his own way, until she understood.

Lisbon was important to him. She was.

And he needed her to know that.


End file.
